The Old Testament books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth separately and
together are too frequently disregarded, at best, and maligned, at
worst, in the teaching and preaching of the church. The Revised
Common Lectionary offers only six readings for sermon consideration
from these three books in its three year span (Josh 3:7-17, 5:9-12,
24:1-25; Judg 4:1-7; Ruth 1:1-19, 3:1-4:17). One suspects the record
is no better in churches where lectionary readings are not followed.
Joshua and Judges, and Ruth to a lesser degree, are troubling books
for Christians today. Describing life and religion in pre-monarchic,
tribal Israel these books are filled with war, graphic descriptions
of national and domestic violence, sacrifice, and the picture of a
deity that seems to participate in and sanction these activities.
Acknowledging not only the difficulty of the content, but also of
the interpretation of these books, the editorial agenda of the New
International Biblical Commentary series is "to help readers navigate
this strange and sometimes forbidding literary and spiritual
terrain." This is achieved through the rejection of recent
re-appropriations of "pre-critical" and "anti-critical" literary
approaches that reduce the text to paraphrases and allegories, while
at the same time calling attention to the limits of critical
approaches that admit no normative dimensions to the text. Employing
instead "believing criticism," this methodology brings together "a
firm commitment to modern scholarship with a similar commitment to
the Bible's full authority for Christians" (pp. ix-x).

This commentary on Joshua, Judges, and Ruth by J. Harris, C. Brown,
and M. Moore is a fine example of the intersection of critical
analysis and a theological outlook. Joshua and Judges are a part of
the canonical Former Prophets and the literary Deuteronomistic
History. As such, the book of Deuteronomy and the themes of the
larger history play an interpretive and theological role. Ruth is one
of the Writings in the Hebrew scriptures and not a part of the Former
Prophets or the DtrH, but is in its present location in the Christian
canon due to its historical setting "in the days when the judges
ruled." The authors "take a canonical-historical approach to the
books, viewing the books as a whole and relating them to other books
in the canon" (p. xv).

Women appear frequently in the narratives, especially in Judges and
Ruth, and the roles they play provide important interpretive keys.
These characters offer a full range, from some of the strongest women
characters, such as Deborah, Jael, Ruth, and Naomi, to the most
abject victims, like Jephthah's daughter, the Levite's concubine, and
the virgins at Shiloh. The Song of Deborah (Judg 5:1-31) is one of
the oldest poems in the Old Testament, dating from before the
monarchy, probably the late 12th to early 11th century. This
"ancient epic poetry" celebrates the tribes' victory over the
better-equipped Canaanites, led by their commander Sisera" (p. 178).
"As poetry, it focuses on a few carefully chosen scenes and presents
them not concretely but impressionistically. It speaks in lyric,
rhythm, and imagery. It was surely intended, in the context of
Judges, to be read along with the narrative" of chapter 4, which is
later interpretation of the epic poem (p. 178).

Acknowledging that "one could write a whole book of the textual
issues in the Song," Cheryl Brown's treatment of the poem generally
deals with the text of the Song according to the NIV translation" (p.
182). The NIV tends, at time, to be overly cautious in its
translation. At Judg 5:7 this makes a critical interpretive
difference. The NIV reads עד
חדלו as "village life ceased until" (BDB, 292),
taking עדas the common adverb
until, and חדלו as the common verb to cease, without
noting the unusual pointing of the second חדלו
in the verse. But, the same expression עד
חדלו with the same unusual
pointing for the verb also occurs in 1 Sam 2:5, and there עד
appears to be the rare and perhaps
archaic noun meaning "plunder" or "booty" (BDB, 723II; in Gen
49:27 one "devours" עדand in Isa
33:23 it is "divided"), while חדלו appears to be a verb meaning "to grow fat"
(KBL, 3rd ed., 281), thus rendering the text, "the sated hired themselves out for
food, but the hungry grew fat from plunder." The parallel with 1
Sam 2:5 provides support for the NRSV's more daring rendering of the
verse. The interpretive question centers on the conditions when Deborah arose as a mother in Israel. Did "the peasantry prosper,
growing fat on spoil because Deborah arose" or did "village life (the
peasantry) cease, cease until Deborah arose" as a mother in Israel?

All the translations and many translators have a failure of nerve at
5:30, as Brown notes:

"Instead of 'a girl or two for each man,' the Hebrew literally
says 'a womb, two wombs for every man.' Rape in warfare has been and
continues to be a common practice. But what is especially shocking
is that here women accept it and even excitedly expect it" (p. 183).

This is a well written and carefully edited commentary, with only 383
pages of text, excluding suggestions for further reading, an index of
biblical citations, and a general index. The attention to detail,
archaeology, social setting, and the theological pay-off of these
biblical books make this commentary a valuable tool for preachers and
teachers and can, hopefully, encourage a closer look at some
neglected texts. The NIV Commentary on Joshua, Judges, and Ruth can
be appreciated and apprehended by religion specialists and novices
alike. This is a valuable resource for pastors, teachers, small
groups, and students of the Bible of any proficiency.